Obituary (2017)

What more can i say about this awesome band? metal fans will be absolutely floored, and with good reason. Perhaps it has the crushing brutality of "Slowly we Rot" and John Tardy's vocals, oh man!! absolutely brutal and which to this day still melt the ears of even the most hardened death metal fans. In addition to the vocals and the sheer heaviness of this album, the best ingredient which made Obituary stand out are the killer riffs, insane drumming, bass lines. Now I am not saying that previous albums were not good,but with this album speed, groove, and devastating riffs are balanced nicely. And this pattern continues throughout the album. If you have an insatiable need for speed, then you would do well to listen this amazing album, Of course if you're like me, then you will completely listen to the album in its entirety, All I can tell you now, my dear reader, is this: If you happen to be one of the lucky few enlightened death metal enthusiasts in this world, but have not yet explored the grisly wonders of Obituary, do so now and waste not another minute of your decaying, rotting existence on this Earth and go buy ALL of their albums.... NOW!
This is fuckin Epic !!
www.obituary.cc
facebook.com/obituaryband
www.relapse.com
Review by Paul Caravasi

Witchery-State of Decay (2017)

Witchery from Peru finally returned with their full lenght album and quality is achieved here greatly. The band show his versatility here. Very powerful riffing and it’s a close to perfect way for this piece of modern thrash. Like many of my metal brothers and sisters out there, I am  really glad that Witchery is on this direction, for me, with some amazing tracks and some of the band’s most inspiring material, musically and lyrically. I highly recommend State of Decay for newcomers to enter Witchery's  world, and also for metal fans seeking a more accessible thrash record. Hardened thrash fans wouldn’t have a problem with this either, as it has all the requirements of the genre and I bet they’ll find themselves head-banging along the sweet thrashing tunes like I do. It is more mature than their previous Ep, this is brutal, and loaded with mosh-pit infusing moments in every piece. The production is top-notch, the performance fantastic, and the style near perfection. It is worth every penny to purchase, and should definitely be listened to by anyone who wants anything to do with heavy metal music.

www.facebook.com/WitcheryBand

soundcloud.com/witcheryband
Review by Paul Caravasi

Hemotoxin-Biological Enslavement (2016)

First things first: Hemotoxin is a really cool band. What else could you expect from a band with top musicianship? so you know this is going to be some technical stuff! The riffs on this album are fast and really catchy, and the drumming is insane. Brutal death vocals are present, as well as... Now I know these guys are the real deal. I'm still getting over the uniqueness and coolness of the first song, when all of the sudden I'm hit in the face by a killer guitar solo with some technical flair. Nice. Okay, I was impressed, so I gave the rest of the CD a listen...Brutal display of the band's abilities. The chorus are catchy, and the drumwork will keep your head banging. Vocals reminds me of Cynic and Death a little bit, and that makes me happy.  Of course, the rest of the CD feels complete and offers plenty of insane drumming, killer riffs and solos. The album starts off fast and technical, ventures to melodic, shifts back and forth between those a bit with some progressive parts here and there, and finally concludes with a sound pretty refreshing, and the music definitely has a lot of life to it, as opposed to some similar bands who would be technical for the sake of being technical. Hemotoxin keeps their music emotional and engaging. I highly recommend giving this CD a good listen. "Biological Enslavement" offers both the expected and the unexpected. On one hand, it's exactly what you'd expect from a young band, complex instrumental sections, harsh vocals and shredding solos. On the other, it throws in a wide variety of things you wouldn't expect from Hemotoxin's brand of metal. All in all, "Biological Enslavement" is an instant keeper. If you were to mix post-1990 Death with Atheist and Cynic, you'd get this album. This is exactly how progressive death metal should sound; heavy, atmospheric, technical, and with a strong vocal performance. Favorites: All of them!
facebook.com/hemotoxin
hemotoxin70.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/clawhammerpr
Review by Paul Caravasi

Homicide-The Ascension (Re-issue 2015)

The music on here is just flat out amazing. This is a compilation of demos from 1990-1992 and 93'.The riffs are  beyond heavy.The songs have a lot of violent thrash parts and plenty of blast beats, they change it up a lot on this album in terms of the drumming and guitar riffs. The riffs are so incredibly heavy that it is hard not to like this album.  Let me get this out of the way first. It’s abrasively unrelenting, from the opening notes to the last ones. Very few bands have ever been able to reach this level of sheer intensity. This is including Deicide on "Legion".  From the very beginning, the very first riff lets you know that Homicide aren’t fucking around here. This is no bullshit, tear you apart metal from the very beginning. Everything works very well on this album to make it what it is. The brutal riffs after brutal riffs and shove it right in your face. This all comes together for an absolutely devastating album. Every riff crushes you in its own way, not a second on this album don’t sound evil and aren’t kicking your ass. And this compilation album features 5 amazing covers as well, Do you want to know which ones? buy this album or die !!! I give you a little hint " My Belief" by Possessed is one of them........A sound that very few bands will ever be able to even come close to matching, but many will aspire to. Only hearing it can truly give this album enough justice, because this album will tear you apart like very few have. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
www.facebook.com/Homicide.DeathMetal.Chile
Review by Paul Caravasi

Necrodemon-In the Ecstasy of Fire (2015)

Death metal should, in my opinion, have that certain feeling to it. You want to hear death metal, not some spoiled, long haired kid trying to scream with an amazingly gay voice about loss of love from his parents,  In other words, you don't want to hear pussy music. Well metalheads, you won't find any pussies on this record. Southamericans Necrodemon choose to stay true to the original death metal sound. It's straightforward death metal without any synths or female choir singing or what-fucking-ever. The tempo is at times shifting between slow and faster parts in the songs; this is, of course, only when it fits the music perfectly). The production is also good and solid. The musicianship is great, although I think the lead guitars and drums stand out the most. There are numerous pretty melodic (no, not melodic in a gay way) although fast solos to be found and they're quite good. Each song on this album is of course great. Necrodemon from Chile always managed to get a different sound with their chainsaw guitars and incredibly powerful drums. So, this adds to the fact that the band always were/are true to their death metal roots. And yes, I think these guys has proven that they were no a clone band. Great riffings and killer headbanging sections.  "In the Ecstasy of Fire" is a solid, uncompromising and brutal punch in the face !
www.facebook.com/Necrodemon.cl
Review by Paul Caravasi

Demoniac Slaughter-Promo 2016

These guys are as good as Peruvian's extreme metal scene gets. The raw thrash-influenced, überdistorted and dirty sound of this promo makes it total delight for true headbangers. They also fully know how to utilize the guitar tones in their songs without making them into some boring wanky mess. Only 3 songs (plus intro) and every track is filled with memorable riffs and pretty much keeps the pace up throughout this Promo. These guys certainly have their riffing down. Another positive thing is the vocals. Karl is one of those guys that is totally convincing when he just bursts out lyrics of slaughter, suicide and other similar topics. His growling fits perfectly with the music as well without going over the top anywhere. For anyone who likes uncompromising well-composed Death Metal, this album is a great highlight. There are chainsaw-sounding guitars blasting out riff after riff, there's insane aggression and it's all in a perfect (dis)harmony. Overall, what we have here is a solid fucking DM band - this is the way the genre is meant to be done. This will please all the kiddies that want something brutal, while making sense to those that want to be able to bang their heads to solid fucking thrash-based riffage without an excess ... add to that some top notch lead guitars, and excellent vocals that fit the context of the band. Excellent stuff !!
Contact: demoniac-slaughter-bandperu@outlook.com
Review by Paul Caravasi

Blizzard Hunter-Heavy Metal to the Vein (2015)

A fast and energetic Heavy Metal album from Peru, with an almost speed metal riffs. Aggressive drumming, and absolutely stellar vocals, such a high vocal range, very high. The lyrics are awesome, the solo's are kick ass. Heavy metal perfection. "Take this...feel this...breathe this........HEAVY METAL TO THE VEEEIIINNNNN!!" Next up is "Heart of Fire" and this is total Iron Maiden worship, this isn't a bad thing, this is a killer song. Pretty fast and aggressive. The solo is pretty impressive too. This album is fucking heavy and effective. The solos are emotional and to the point, they knew not to over-do it. Awesome songs. An awesome first album. Definitely worth a purchase, any fan of old school heavy metal should love this album. Oh and I like the artwork. This album is perfect in every single way and every time I hear it the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. If you are a fan of traditional heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc.), I would strongly suggest searching for it. It may be a little hard to find, but the search will be worth it.
www.facebook.com/BlizzardHunter
Review by Paul Caravasi

Murkocet-Digging Mercy's Grave (2017)

Vocals, razor-sharp high-mid range growly shrieks, often follow the rythm of the music (which is odd for vocals). I can't make out most of the lyrics this way, but  vocals sound menacing. He doesn't sound angry, or enraged, but violent. If I had to list songs, well, 'Strip Club Massacre' and "Tombstones". This is an album that almost every song has elements I particularly like a little and this is not coming from a fanboy because this type of sound have never really been one of my favourites. I will be the first to admit the winning formula of constant chugging groove ala Pantera that they use of late can be tiresome, but i think this band add something interesting to the equation, most bands were simply playing breakdowns. Murkocet didn't.The only possible quip with this album would be that not every song sounds totally different from the others.
www.facebook.com/murkocetmetal
facebook.com/clawhammerpr
Review by Paul Caravasi

Apothesary-Sensory Overload (2016)

A sonic spectrum between Meshuggah and a Death Metal sound thrown in for good measure. Apothesary have big things ahead if 2017. "sensory Overload" is an indicator. Barbed wire guitar riffs, constantly shifting time signatures, and a singer whose voice brings to mind any number of wild animals make this cd one of the heaviest discs I own. Riffs that makes you go "oh shit what's gonna happen next" and ends up being a relentless barrage of intensity, which are produced as raw as they come, but when leads do appear ,they are damn good. There is a strong Meshuggah influence no doubt -- but not enough to prevent this band from forging their own style of brutality. I must say that vocals are the most ridiculous in metal. At times they barely sound HUMAN, and you can hear the force put behind them, always a plus... this is just pure 100% HEAVY FUCKING METAL through and through. So in conclusion, if you like metal and enjoy the modern breed of intense bands, you'll be all over Apothesary. The drumming is more than solid, it's just fucking great. Its fast, powerful, its creative and it even includes fucking double bass riffs. Not that other bands don't build upon their drumming, and make it so the drumming is complex but follows a pattern.. but here it really feels like their drummer is riffing. This guy.. owns. Did i mention that Clayton Cagle plays in Hatchet as well?....well, These guys know exactly what they're doing: they're delivering a kick in the face with remarkable self-contained violence.
www.apothesary.com
www.facebook.com/apothesary
Review by Paul Caravasi